The Art of Recycling: Using Covers to Cover Your Wall

The Art of Recycling: Using Covers to Cover Your Wall

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Over the years, we have housed excess yearbooks, which eventually became a storage issue. There are many ways to utilize yearbooks and I lean more towards the side of showcasing them as wall art. I have moved yearbook rooms at least 10 times and each time I find ways to make it my own, but sometimes sharing a room with another teacher can be a challenge when it comes to making your space look like a yearbook room. One room housed a sitting nook with two blank walls. We cut the covers off the books, sometimes using the entire cover, front cover only, or end sheets and hot glued them to the wall. They were relatively easy to remove when we had to change locations.

The current room we are in has a long blank wall, which we painted flat black. I purchased three large canvases and my students used the salvaged yearbook covers and hot glued them to the surface. Now if we have to change rooms again we will take our art with us. Yearbook wall art could also be hung in other parts of the school for students and staff to see. Here’s how you can make your own!

Materials: art canvas, hot glue gun with plenty of glue sticks, box cutter, extra yearbooks

Instructions:

  1. Use a box cutter to cut off the covers.
  2. Place a cutting mat or piece of flat cardboard under the cover because it will cut into the table surface.
  3. Arrange your yearbook covers on the canvas first until you like the design. Try to keep the same colored covers away from each other for contrast.
  4. Depending on the number of canvases you have, you can use the same cover on the other canvases if you need some fillers.
  5. Place hot glue on the cover and press onto canvas. You may need to put your hand behind the canvas to make sure the cover completely adheres.
  6. It is okay if part of the cover edges extend off the canvas.
  7. Allow to completely dry before hanging.
  8. You can use frame wire or can directly hang canvas on two wall screws. Just make sure screws are aligned or your artwork will hang crookedly.
Alicia Luttrell
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